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Grow Your Agency With HighLevel: The Most Disruptive Marketing Software
Learn more about the most disruptive marketing software Kasim has ever seen and how you can scale your agency with it!
Kasim sits down with Robin Alex, co-founder of HighLevel, and they discuss the company's unique business model, its vision for the future, and how it extends far beyond its innovative approach to empower businesses to thrive and grow.
If you haven't heard of HighLevel, you're missing out! It's the first-ever all-in-one platform that will give you the tools, support, and resources you need to succeed with your agency. Listen to this episode now.
0:00 Grow Your Agency With HighLevel: The Most Disruptive Marketing Software
4:01 Managing the risk of customers scaling beyond their worth
6:07 How HighLevel prioritizes solutions
9:07 Robin's vision for HighLevel
11:47 Will HighLevel be irrelevant soon?
18:24 It's unreal how HighLevel is authentic and client-centric
19:07 Get a free trial and start growing your agency with HighLevel
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Transcript
It's Costume with the Daily Google News, and I'm here with Rob and
2
:Alex, who think probably has one of
the hardest jobs in the digital world.
3
:you're the co founder of High Level,
which is the fastest growing, most
4
:disruptive marketing software that
I've ever seen in my entire life.
5
:do you guys consider yourself a martech?
6
:is that a pejorative to you?
7
:Are you okay, me?
8
:yeah.
9
:We're definitely in the Martech space.
10
:That's us.
11
:we're not a Martech.
12
:We're automation.
13
:We're systems.
14
:We're process.
15
:So I don't want to improperly
slap a label on it.
16
:I'm a huge fan of GHL, if you're
watching or listening to this and you
17
:haven't used high level, you don't even
have to click on my affiliate link.
18
:You should, but you don't have to.
19
:This thing is the amount of features.
20
:Available for the money is insane
already right out of the gate.
21
:But what's Impossible to fathom is y'all
don't charge per instance And that's what
22
:I think really disrupted the entire game.
23
:Like most software companies kept
the monetization on their end.
24
:Y'all moved the fulcrum of monetization.
25
:So an agency can buy high level once, for
the grand total, like 500 bucks a month,
26
:if you want the nicest, fanciest version,
and then they can resell it to as many
27
:people as they want hundreds, thousands
of customers and keep all the money.
28
:Like it's you equip people to
be SAS companies themselves.
29
:It's an unbelievable vision.
30
:how did that happen?
31
:Did you set out to do that
or was that by accident?
32
:It was something you fell into.
33
:definitely it was something we fell into
just overall through the whole thing.
34
:So prior to high level, I was
running an agency and when I met Sean
35
:Averroon, the other two co founders.
36
:were trying to figure out how to take
the software and really get it out to
37
:the masses that's the vision, right?
38
:The more users you have, the more
adoption you'll get, the more money,
39
:the more revenue to doing more things.
40
:And I always looked at it
from the agency perspective.
41
:What would I want in that perspective?
42
:And I always hated the more that
I bring The more I'm getting taxed,
43
:is how I always looked at it.
44
:And then once you hit a certain point,
you get this like weird decision
45
:point of now I'm spending 3, 000 a
month, 5, 000 a month, and now they're
46
:wanting me to sign a longer agreement.
47
:Do I really want to
spend a long agreement?
48
:Or at that point, you now start
playing the field again, right?
49
:before I commit to it, let me
see what else is out there.
50
:And at the end of the day, it's
all about adoption and usage.
51
:So we've always just
started out from that point.
52
:And It was just us three doing
onboardings and stuff like that.
53
:So we were just happy people were
just coming onto the platform
54
:and we were just heads down.
55
:Just keep doing that.
56
:Just keep getting more
and more at the top.
57
:and we never really thought
about expansion on the back end.
58
:or how to expand.
59
:And instead we just got public
fanfare of This is awesome.
60
:And we're like, okay, so why stop?
61
:Just keep going.
62
:And, luckily for the three of us,
greed has never taken over a sense
63
:of our mindset We've always, been
believers on if we can make the world
64
:successful, it will come back to us.
65
:in some form or fashion from
a positivity perspective,
66
:monetization and things like that.
67
:And so we've never looked at
trying to disrupt it from a
68
:per user model or contact.
69
:And I think where people go wrong is
you look at companies that's out there
70
:that's been doing it for a long time.
71
:And either you follow the textbook
method, which is what they're doing.
72
:And that's the only way to succeed.
73
:And people are scared to
go the alternative route.
74
:And so we basically said we looked into
it or, we fell into it from the get go.
75
:Why change if it's working and
Oh, we figured out how to be,
76
:cashflow positive or profitable.
77
:We're making money along the way.
78
:why stop.
79
:so that was honestly how we started
and we just kept it going into this
80
:date that's us and we're owning that
lane that no one else wants to touch.
81
:Dude, I love that.
82
:How do you manage the downside risk of
a customer scaling beyond their worth?
83
:I know you have customers
manage their own, email, like
84
:Mailgun or Twilio or whatever.
85
:So those would be variable costs
that you've been able to push back
86
:on the agencies, which is brilliant.
87
:But just storage space.
88
:if I go take down high level,
maybe at 100 clients, that's not
89
:so many snapshots but at 100, 000?
90
:and I know you have to have
agencies that get there.
91
:is there a point of Hey, I got to knock
on your door and charge you for your
92
:own AWS instance or something like that?
93
:over the years, uneducated doesn't
realize that data is such a high
94
:variable commodity that cost is.
95
:Relatively inexpensive, really, an
average account could be, a couple of
96
:megs or a couple of gigs at most, on
the high end and, when you have a great
97
:development team and things like that,
we're always looking at improving and
98
:optimizing and stuff like that, but just
not the gate data is a lot cheaper than
99
:you expect and, we have the advantage of.
100
:We're trying not to predict
the future and what we build.
101
:It's looking at great products
that's out there and rebuilding it,
102
:retooling it in the lens of an agency.
103
:We don't come in with a lot of bloatware.
104
:We're building efficiencies out
the gate because agencies are
105
:telling us exactly what they want.
106
:So out the gate, it's a
stripped down version.
107
:There's not a lot of bloatware, a
lot of sizing behind it that's going
108
:to create a lot of tension for us.
109
:And so from that perspective, it's
been easy for us to scale and keep the
110
:overall infrastructure relatively small.
111
:I love that you just said, we
don't try to predict the future.
112
:not just compelling, but
what a brave thing to say.
113
:and I see that in high level.
114
:You're absolutely right.
115
:It's we're not trying to
tell you what's coming.
116
:We're just helping solve the problems
that are happening right now.
117
:Yeah, we're in the trenches with you,
old analogy was, we're just gonna wait
118
:until someone punches us on the chins,
and, we need this now, What's nuts
119
:is how quickly you roll that shit out.
120
:I've seen you guys in weeks, hey, I need
the thing, and then all of a sudden,
121
:two weeks later, okay, it's shipped.
122
:took me, I tell the story all the time,
it took me 18 months to get HubSpot to let
123
:Appointment booking resolve in a separate
thank you page so I could track them in
124
:Google Ads 18 months a year and a half
when somebody schedules an appointment,
125
:instead of a confirmation message, I
need a new, and I had to go through the
126
:remediation, and the impact team, and
the analysis, and the cost to benefit
127
:ratio, they put me on calls with people.
128
:I was an agency partner at the
time, was like, all right, they're
129
:doing me a favor, and I need this.
130
:Took a year and a half.
131
:Y'all would have had that in 48 hours.
132
:how do you ship so quickly?
133
:How do you even manage
a process like that?
134
:two different school of thoughts.
135
:When I work on something, it has to be 100
percent perfect, 100 percent thought out.
136
:And I'm thinking through every
single use case before I ship it.
137
:And then there's the side of, if
you just roll it out too early,
138
:people will complain, people
are going to be frustrated.
139
:You're impacting support
and things like that.
140
:And the perfectionist looks at
our model and they're basically
141
:saying you're half assing it.
142
:And for us, we're basically
saying, reality is.
143
:80 percent of usage comes from
20 percent of the features.
144
:Yeah, we're going to come up with that
and immediately get feedback on where
145
:it's not working and what it can improve
versus you spent the next two years
146
:trying to build this amazing product.
147
:And at that point, by the time you get
it out, either it's no longer relevant,
148
:no longer important or where's the
magical customers that's going to
149
:come use it now doesn't exist right.
150
:They already found another solution
because they needed it two years ago
151
:when that was the hot trend or whatever,
for example, threads, that came out a
152
:couple of months ago, we were the first.
153
:social planning tool that had access
to that, that was building to that.
154
:Oh, how cool.
155
:I didn't know that.
156
:So what for like social scheduling
social posting and stuff like that.
157
:And there's going to be other
platforms that's trying to make
158
:sure they go through all the edge
cases and stuff like that, but.
159
:When that came out, it was a rush from
all the agencies of I need to be there.
160
:I need to have a tool
that can help me there.
161
:So are you willing to wait
two years to have your perfect
162
:integration or, in the meantime,
we know it's not fully thought out.
163
:We don't know all the edge
cases, nor does anyone.
164
:So we're just like, bring it
on and we'll figure it out.
165
:But in the two years, We've already
got mass adoption along the way.
166
:definitely a different model and
we call it the skateboard method,
167
:there's a lot of articles from that
methodology, but for us, it's, the
168
:80, 20 rule, 80 percent of usage
comes from 20 percent of the features.
169
:And then from there, the people that
maximize that 20% Usage will continue
170
:to add for more and they'll tell us and
they'll give us that direct feedback.
171
:And now it's bite sized updates
for the next iteration of it.
172
:Where do you see high level?
173
:I know you said, I don't
try to predict the future.
174
:So I understand that from a feature
perspective, but as the leader of
175
:organization, you guys are big, no
matter how you slay you when you have
176
:600 employees, did I get that right?
177
:750 750 employees, 3 million end users.
178
:Yeah, MUAs, right?
179
:So that's active users
that's on our platform.
180
:So what's your vision for
high level moving forward?
181
:Like you flash forward three, five,
10 years, do you want to see happen?
182
:I want to see us continue building
a bigger ecosystem to where we
183
:own, anyone attached or associated
to high level is basically a 10
184
:billion ecosystem, if not greater.
185
:And, the number that we like to
put out there is 9 billion going
186
:into other people's pockets.
187
:I love that that's development
partners, service providers, value
188
:added whatever, resellers, those types,
anybody that's touching high level,
189
:because you're a part of our bubble,
you're making money and think about it.
190
:even our model, we use the
agencies for distribution model.
191
:They get to the small businesses.
192
:And as long as the agency is
using our tool, they're going
193
:to help that small business.
194
:Make money and provide
impact in their communities.
195
:And then you have the secondary partners
and the marketplace partners who are
196
:building integrations and tools not
only compounding that effect of helping
197
:downstream to the small businesses.
198
:cascade all of that together.
199
:There's a lot of opportunity here.
200
:And, 1 of the things I'm excited about is.
201
:Down to at an employee level, we're
creating a certification program.
202
:And so I want people.
203
:To go out in the world saying
I am now high level certified,
204
:please hire me because I'm
officially certified or vice versa.
205
:Think about LinkedIn or indeed.
206
:com.
207
:People are like, I need a
high level administrator.
208
:So now I see that all
the time my mastermind.
209
:That's one of the biggest asks if
from a resource perspective used to
210
:be everybody wanted a media buyer.
211
:and I would get those calls, obviously,
but now everybody wants a high
212
:level person and it's not even a
quite, it's like a ubiquitous truth.
213
:They're all using it.
214
:Everybody's using high level.
215
:Like you guys have just penetrated
the highest levels, anybody who's
216
:really doing marketing well as using
high level one way or the other.
217
:Yeah.
218
:And, one of the ideas early on was how do
we make it feel like it is truly yours?
219
:Yeah.
220
:This is where we came in with
the white labeling and, all those
221
:features out the gate because.
222
:The more that you feel like it's yours,
the more attached you are, and the
223
:more conviction you have in delivering
the solution to your customers.
224
:I'm gonna lob a grenade at you that
I've heard lobbed at me, and this
225
:isn't something I believe by the way,
but let's just play devil's advocate.
226
:there's too many people using high
level, there's too many agencies that
227
:know, the cat's out of the bag, the
market's saturated, a bunch of people
228
:are letting, free snapshots, they're
just giving away the farm, gig is up.
229
:How do you respond to that?
230
:it's a great question.
231
:So I think what I see in the market
is a couple of different angles.
232
:new businesses, so the U S chamber of
commerce put out a stat, that they look at
233
:sick codes and EIN generations every year.
234
:There's roughly about two to three,
maybe 4 million new EINs generated.
235
:So new business entities.
236
:Since COVID, that's accelerated
to almost 6 million, and I think
237
:they're predicting 7 million new
EINs being generated this year.
238
:Now, sure, some of them are shell
companies and blah, blah, blah,
239
:blah, but what they are seeing
is new businesses starting up.
240
:I think from a generational perspective,
a lot of people pre COVID were
241
:working for large corporations, or
think about just your local service
242
:business, some guys, a plumber
working for a large plumbing company.
243
:starting to make a little money,
maybe through COVID and stuff.
244
:We're seeing this transition where
people are now saying, you know what,
245
:I'm going to go out and get my own
truck and be a one person show to
246
:grow my own plumbing business now.
247
:So there's a lot of opportunity
for the new generation.
248
:So I think there's opportunity there.
249
:I think the other opportunity
that I'm also seeing is.
250
:years ago, the first generations
of CRM people that were, coming
251
:into the working world and their
careers and they're implementing act
252
:Salesforce, HubSpots and, infusion
softs and all these great platforms.
253
:And they've been building on it, but those
individuals who are doing the work, right?
254
:A decade ago, 15 years ago today,
they've either left the company,
255
:they moved up the organization.
256
:And so that knowledge
transfer is not gone.
257
:And so now the new generation coming out
of college or young career individuals
258
:are coming in, looking at it saying,
oh, the system is so antiquated.
259
:It's built on the trends back then, right?
260
:Where you had different solid newsletters
or old school websites and stuff.
261
:And they're looking at it saying,
either we have to hire an outside
262
:consultant to rebuild this whole
thing, or let's start from scratch.
263
:And guess what, the easy tool is
us and you can put your own brand,
264
:so that's where our USP comes in.
265
:So I think there's a ton of opportunity
on that lane or really those 2 lanes just.
266
:By easy nature.
267
:So the opportunity is just never ending.
268
:What pisses me off about the people
that make that claim, because I hear
269
:it all the time, as a reseller, I hear
people like, Ah, I can't go resell
270
:high level, everybody else is doing it.
271
:no, temp, it's a canvas
that you get to paint on.
272
:what are you putting in your, like have
an agency for Montessori schools, so
273
:I created a high level instance that's
built specifically for Montessori.
274
:Montessori funnels, automation, follow up.
275
:Sequences, Like it's all just Montessori.
276
:You could never in a million years
just hand a Montessorian, a high
277
:level app and say here, same thing.
278
:It's not.
279
:So where people are being short sighted
is you guys have done such a good job of
280
:saying here, customize this for any niche.
281
:And until every niche in the world
has at least 10 instances, because
282
:everybody wants variety, nobody's
ever going to be able to convince
283
:me that high level is saturated.
284
:Yeah.
285
:And love that angle
because reality, right?
286
:People need features, or they
think they need features, and I
287
:think they're lying to themselves.
288
:What they're really
looking for is an outcome.
289
:And I'm seeing a lot of people get out
of the traditional agency space, and
290
:they're just walking into a business
saying, How can I augment you needing
291
:to hire a new person or augmenting your
staff by just building some automations?
292
:Because a lot of the day to day
operational work, a lot of it is
293
:centered around sales and marketing.
294
:And a lot of it is just
administrative love that comes from
295
:the sales and marketing, right?
296
:I gotta send out a PDF to somebody
or send an email internally about
297
:this payment that needs to be made
with an invoice and stuff like that.
298
:if you just go in with that mindset.
299
:Every business owner needs to
optimize, and they want the ability
300
:to not have to hire for more.
301
:They want to automate it, simplify
their process so they can get
302
:back to doing what they enjoy.
303
:The dentist wants to get back to being
a dentist, not sitting in front of
304
:their computer trying to figure out how
do I process this invoice or run this
305
:credit card payment, or teach my front
desk staff how to make the phone call.
306
:If that can be automated, it
makes your life so much easier.
307
:If you look at it being more of a
solutions provider or technology
308
:automations provider versus
the traditional agency, I think
309
:there's a lot of opportunity there.
310
:And now you can always back into the
traditional stuff when the time is
311
:appropriate, but it is a wide ocean
of opportunity on the automations
312
:and, just bringing the tool, being
that artist for these businesses.
313
:You mind if I get a
little personal with you?
314
:Yeah.
315
:So you're a young guy, you're
a co founder of a SaaS company.
316
:On a meteoric rise.
317
:I'm pretty sure that's the literal dream,
like in the eighties, everybody wanted
318
:to be a movie star in the nineties,
everybody wanted to be a rock star in the
319
:2000, everybody wanted to be a pop star.
320
:Like we're now in the era
where everybody wants to be an
321
:entrepreneur, but SAS is the pinnacle.
322
:It has the highest valuation.
323
:It's what everybody wants to go to.
324
:you're at the top of the mountain
that sits atop all other mountains.
325
:I guess that's my question.
326
:It's like, how does that feel?
327
:you just wake up every
day This is awesome.
328
:what does that even resonate or land?
329
:Or it's not something you think about?
330
:I try to think about it, but
it just doesn't register.
331
:one of those from the outside looking
in, it looks great, but from the inside
332
:looking out, it's like, Nope, I got
a customer messaging me right now.
333
:Let me go help them.
334
:Yeah, I'm just answering support
tickets and doing my job.
335
:think that's what makes us a
little different because we're
336
:in the trenches and we enjoy it.
337
:We're not trying to chase
that vision of being the top.
338
:I think we just got there only because
of the organic and echo chamber that we
339
:created of the value that we're bringing.
340
:It's not like we're aggressively like,
you know what, in three years we're
341
:going to be at the top of the mountain
and then looking at the ivory tower
342
:down below in our executive suites,
we just never had that as the vision.
343
:It was just, if we do a lot of great
work, a lot of people will like it and by
344
:chance we'll do well behind the scenes.
345
:Dude, you guys are, not to pander,
it's unreal just how authentic y'all
346
:are and the decisions you make.
347
:there's authenticity is great, but
if it stops it action, it's like, all
348
:right, you're just being authentically
a prick now, but you guys are.
349
:authentic, and then also making decisions
that really are, in the best interest of
350
:your end customer, which is so unusual.
351
:It's a ubiquitous lip service.
352
:Every company says it.
353
:Y'all are the one of the very few I've
ever seen really do it all the way.
354
:So for whatever that's worth,
I super appreciate you.
355
:somebody's watching or listening
to this last words to you,
356
:what is it you want them to do?
357
:What's the call to action?
358
:talk to Kossum and, get onto highlevel.
359
:com and get a trial and see if the
product will help your business or
360
:talk to an agency that leverages it.
361
:And I think there's a ton of
value that you can improve your
362
:small business in the world.
363
:Yeah, I've got.
364
:and a half businesses
built on top of high level.
365
:I say half because it's
not solely dependent, but
366
:that's, what's cool about it.
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:You can say Oh, okay.
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:I need a little bit of this
and not so much of that.
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:And it's a fun little building block.
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:super appreciate being here with me, man.
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:I'm a big fan.
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:If you're watching, listening, go check
out high level, my affiliate links
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:in the description, Robin's badass.
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:You have to make sure you go
to the high level of event.
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:Actually, it's probably sold out.
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:Isn't it?
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:we actually sold out two days ago,
a month early, which is really wild.
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:That's great.
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:you missed out on the high
level event, but I'm sure
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:there'll be awesome recordings.
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:have some cool recordings and
stuff that we'll put out there.
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:If you can't make it, we'll
make sure that you see it.
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:Yeah.
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:My business partner, Perry
Belcher, he's speaking there.
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:I think Steve Sims is
speaking there too, right?
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:spoke last year.
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:but we have a lot of cool speakers.
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:I think 38 speakers
that's going to be there.
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:Oh, that's awesome, dude.
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:Wow.
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:That's great.
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:I can't wait watch the live stream
and I appreciate you, Robin.
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:And if you're watching this, comment,
subscribe, and I'll see you tomorrow.
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:All right.
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:Thank you